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Jaguar XK120 3.4 liter inline 6-cylinder 1954

Allmän beskrivning : 1954 Jaguar XK120 OTS

Chassis No. – 675728
Engine No. – F3129-8
Exterior Color – Pastel Blue
Interior Color – Blue
Engine – 3.4 Liter in-line six
Transmission – 4-speed manual
Current Miles – 61,051 miles (TMU)
Current Owner – Purchased in 2019 with 58,713 miles

General History

Just three years after the end of World War II, Jaguar revealed the XK120. With wartime austerity still impacting much of the UK, the XK120 caused quite a stir. With its stunning styling, sophisticated mechanical specification, and unapologetic performance, the XK120 was nothing short of a revelation. The elegant and sporty XK120 not only boosted morale among the weary UK population, it demonstrated to the world that Britain had both the technical capacity and design excellence to deliver a beautiful performance car.

Although originally intended to be a concept car showcasing Jaguar’s remarkable new twin-cam inline 6-cylinder engine, the breathtaking styling and genuine 120 mph performance of the XK120, coupled with an affordable price, captured the imagination of the world. Sales were so strong that Jaguar had to reengineer the car for mass production to meet the significant demand. This effort not only improved output, it also allowed Jaguar to expand their market share exporting to North America and other parts of the world. The XK120 set new standards of comfort, handling, and performance for British sports cars. There was nothing that could touch the XK120 at the remarkably affordable price.

History of this Jaguar XK 120

According to the Jaguar Heritage Trust Certificate issued in October 2016, this XK120 OTS was manufactured June 3, 1954 and dispatched to North America June 11, 1954. The original distributor, Hornburg Jaguar in Los Angeles, sold the car to the first owner, Russel Loer, Los Angeles, CA. In 1957, Jaguar historian and XK120 Registrar for the Classic Jaguar Association Bruce Carnachan of Glendale, CA, purchased the car from the original owner with 19,000 miles. Carnachan, a former Air-Force gunner sergeant and later California Highway Patrol worker, had known of the car since new, greatly admired it and hoped to one day purchase it. Determined to retain the originality of the car, Carnachan proceeded to care for it throughout decades of remarkable ownership, participating in automotive events where he would earn the moniker “Mr. Jaguar” among his friends and enthusiasts.

Over the years, this XK120 has been featured in multiple automotive publications including a 1974 Motor Trend “Retrospect”, the cover of Car Collector 1979, and again in 1981 as a Road & Track “Salon” car. In 1981, the car showed 119,000 miles, still remaining “absolutely original” as stated by legendary automotive journalist Tony Hogg in his detailed Salon article. Throughout his six decades of ownership, Carnachan performed much of the maintenance himself, winning local concours awards, and participating in multiple rallies despite his advancing years. In 1992, the car participated in the Monterey Historic Races and continued to be shown in 2006, 2009, and 2012 as documented by dashboard plaques still affixed to the car. Carnachan’s exhaustive and highly detailed knowledge of XK120s is owed in part to the originality of this car and to Carnachan’s pioneering advocacy of authentic preservation combined with decades of impressive stewardship.

In 2019, in preparation for consignment, Jaguar experts determined the original twin-cam head needed to be replaced. The difficult decision was made to remove the original head, preserve it, and locate a factory original head as a replacement. A suitable head within the same month of manufacture was prepared, installed, tested, and dialed in after reassembly. This work was performed by highly regarded Jaguar specialist Steve Gordon of Vintage Auto Service. Later in 2019, Fantasy Junction sold this car to the current owner who drove the car approximately 2,500 miles. Services included fluid changes, along with clutch replacement, flywheel resurfacing, new engine and transmission mounts, a new aluminum radiator, and frontal body damage repairs.

Today, the condition of this XK120 continues to reveal the ongoing care and preservation in keeping with Carnachan’s legacy. Retaining a combination of properly serviced components and original details, this XK120 is a beautiful and honest artifact of elegant motoring from a bygone era. The body is straight with excellent panel fit and operation. The paint combines older original areas and recently refinished front sections blended at the doors. There is some checking, some touched up areas at the rear of the car, but otherwise quite satisfying. The chrome is in good to very good condition including the grille, bumpers, nicely polished headlight trim, and detailed fog lamps. The windshield frame shows some expected pitting at the base, but good glass and wind wings. Emblems and minor are in excellent condition. A set of correctly sized Michelin 185/16 R400 tires are mounted on chrome plated wire wheels featuring dual-eared knockoffs, beautifully accented by painted red drum brakes, which add a purposeful competition touch to the car.

The interior is a welcoming blend of original components and properly sourced materials, which have been replaced only as needed. The seats are correctly tailored with proper piping and material, correctly pleated, but gently relaxed by years of enjoyable driving. Carpeting and door panels reveal varying material age evident in range from the driver’s side door pull to the replacement floor mats, which cover older replacement carpets. The dash and instrumentation are adorned by beautifully detailed markings, crisp needles, and richly contrasting dial faces. The odometer currently reads 61,051 miles, consistent with having rolled over once since new. The steering wheel, switches, gearshift lever, and emergency brake handle are all in very good condition with a few signs of age consistent with the rest of the car’s presentation. The trunk is very much in keeping with the interior, sporting a tidy spare tire storage area, wire wheel spare, tools, and jack, all of which appear to retain the preserved factory original finishes.

Under the hood, the matching number engine block and engine compartment feature recent freshening and correct components. The current twin-cam head is a correct match to the year and month of production, and the original matching number head is included with the car. The polished aluminum castings are nicely hued and properly detailed, while correct factory hardware further completes the engine compartment with integrity and refinement befitting the quality of the overall car. An aftermarket aluminum radiator has been installed as an added benefit to cooling. The undercarriage reflects the finishes of a car that has never been restored, merely conscientiously maintained since new in a dry climate.

The car starts easily, settles into a smooth idle, and has excellent carburetion. Throttle response is crisp when driven more sportingly with a docile manner when navigating local roads. The clutch engages positively, and the gearbox has a nice mechanical feel with well-defined gates and effective synchromesh. Brakes are easy to modulate and operate symmetrically, while steering and suspension are effective and free of slop. In short, the entire car has a harmonious, coherent feel that allows the driver to focus on the pleasures of vintage sports car driving.

This Jaguar is accompanied by weather equipment (center zip tonneau cover and side curtains), car cover and bag, tire changing tools, tools and tool roll, various spare parts in a wood case, a scale model XK120 finishing in pastel blue, the original matching numbers head, and copies of the various publications in which the car has been featured.

This is an outstanding opportunity to acquire an important and historically well-documented Jaguar XK120 roadster. Honest preparation and correct presentation, this Jaguar offers the next fortunate enthusiast an iconic sports car ready for another enjoyable chapter in vintage motoring.NOTE: Please note that at some point in the early history of this car, the VIN for the chassis and chassis plate were stamped with the additional letter character "S". The current title also carries the letter S as part of the VIN.

1954 Jaguar XK120 3.4 liter inline 6-cylinder is listed till salu on ClassicDigest in California by Fantasy Junction for Ej prissatt.

 

Fakta i bilen

Karosstyp : Personbil Märke : Jaguar Modell : XK120 Modellversion : 3.4 liter inline 6-cylinder Motorvolym : 3.4 Årsmodell : 1954 Läge : Emeryville Fordon Registrering : Normal

Ej prissatt

Information om säljaren

Fantasy Junction

Fantasy Junction
+1 510 653 7555

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om Jaguar

Åh, historien om Jaguar, från dess tidiga dagar som SS Cars Ltd. till sin höjdpunkt med D-typen och gatubilsevolutionen i form av den ikoniska E-typen. Det finns något alldeles brittiskt över denna berättelse, och jag ska berätta den som en brittisk journalist skulle göra.

I början:
Vår resa in i Jaguar-världen börjar på 1930-talet, när ett företag som kallades SS Cars Ltd. dök upp. Trots den olyckliga sammanträffandet av deras initialer med de stigande politiska spänningarna i Europa började de producera stilfulla och prestandainriktade bilar. SS 100, som introducerades 1936, var en symbol för elegans och hastighet och lade grunden för vad som skulle bli Jaguar.

Jaguars födelse:
När skuggan av andra världskriget närmade sig beslutade SS Cars Ltd. klokt att distansera sig från SS-initialerna. Så 1945 blev de officiellt Jaguar Cars Ltd., ett namn som snart skulle bli synonymt med brittisk lyx och prestanda.

XK-serien:
Jaguars efterkrigstid gav oss XK 120, en verklig sensation 1948. Med sin strömlinjeformade design och en kraftfull 3,4-liters raksexmoters blev den världens snabbaste seriebil. XK 120 var ritningen för det som komma skulle - Jaguar som förenade stil med hastighet på ett unikt brittiskt sätt.

D-typens dominans:
Sedan kom D-typen, en sann racinglegend. Introducerad 1954, vann den Le Mans tre gånger på 1950-talet och visade Jaguars tekniska skicklighet. Med sin innovativa monokokkonstruktion och den ikoniska fenan bak var D-typen höjdpunkten av Jaguars framgång inom motorsport.

E-typens framträdande:
Men den verkliga vändpunkten kom 1961 med introduktionen av E-typen, ofta beskriven av Enzo Ferrari som "den vackraste bilen som någonsin byggts". Dess långa motorhuv, böljande kaross och en 3,8-liters motor som levererade upphetsande prestanda gjorde den till en omedelbar klassiker. E-typen var inte bara en bil; den var ett konstverk på hjul och kunde nå 150 mph på vägen.

Gata och racingsuccé:
E-typens skönhet matchades av dess förmåga på racerbanan. De lätta E-typarna var särskilt framgångsrika i olika racingevenemang och cementerade Jaguars rykte som en kraft att räkna med inom motorsport.

Raffinemangets ålder:
När vi fördjupar oss i Jaguar-historien finner vi att 1950-talet och 1960-talet var en tid av raffinering och expansion. Tillsammans med den magnifika D-typen och den ikoniska E-typens framträdande introducerade Jaguar modeller som ytterligare befäste sitt rykte för lyx och prestanda.

MK2:
I slutet av 1950-talet presenterade Jaguar MK2, en sportig sedan som kombinerade elegans med kraft. Denna eleganta fyradörrars salong var en favorit bland bankrånare och polisen, tack vare dess exceptionella hastighet och hantering. MK2 var en symbol för Jaguars förmåga att förena sofistikering med prestanda och hade också en framgångsrik racingkarriär.

XJ6:
Hoppa fram till 1968 och Jaguar lanserade en bil som skulle definiera lyxbilar i decennier framöver - XJ6. Det var ett mästerverk i teknik och design med en jämn raksexmoters, oberoende bakre fjädring och en rymlig, vackert inredd interiör. XJ6 var en symbol för brittisk elegans och erbjöd en så smidig åktur att det kändes som om den gled över vägen. Den blev flaggskeppsmodellen för Jaguar och satte standarden för lyxbilar och visade en nivå av raffinering som imponerade på konkurrenterna.

Blandningen av klassiskt och modernt:
Medan MK2 och XJ6 representerade utvecklingen av Jaguars sedanmodeller, bibehöll de märkets engagemang för prestanda och lyx. Dessa bilar hörde inte bara hemma på racerbanan; de trivdes lika bra på de stora boulevarderna som på en avslappnad körning genom den engelska landsbygden.

Utmaningarna av förändring:
Men när 1970-talet närmade sig, ställdes Jaguar, liksom många brittiska biltillverkare, inför ekonomiska utmaningar och ägarförändringar. British Leyland-eran förde både möjligheter och svårigheter med sig när varumärket navigerade genom olika sammanslagningar och övergångar.

Ändå fortsätter arvet från MK2 och XJ6, tillsammans med D-typen och E-typen, att definiera Jaguar som en tillverkare som förenar tidlös elegans med en anda av prestanda. Dessa klassiska modeller, vare sig de körs på slingrande vägar eller står som samlarföremål, tjänar som ett vittnesbörd om Jaguars långvariga närvaro inom den automobila exklens värld.

Jaguar-historien, från dess tidiga dagar som SS Cars Ltd. till skapandet av ikoner som E-typen, MK2 och XJ6, är en resa som speglar essensen av brittisk bilkultur - en blandning av lyx, kraft och stil som fortsätter att fängsla entusiaster och samlare över hela världen.